"Who…who are you?"
Loki stared at the giant figure on the throne, the terrifying pressure washing over him. Uncontrollable fear gripped his heart, as if he heard endless wailing in his ears. He swallowed, feeling that things were not looking good.
"Asgardian, before you stands the Lord of the Dark Quadrant, the renowned Titan King of the Universe, the great being, Sanos My Lord."
The pale-skinned, ugly and terrifying Chitauri leader stepped out, glancing sideways at Loki, then bowed respectfully to the figure on the throne, his tone filled with extreme reverence, as if facing an incomparably exalted god.
The figure on the throne had more titles in the Universe than just that, but some were not suitable to be spoken aloud, such as the Seeker of Death, the Mad Titan, the Eternal anomaly specialized in destruction.
"Thanos!"
Hearing that name, Loki was startled, letting out a cry of fear as he looked up.
He had specifically inquired about Asgard's status in the Universe.
And there was one person whose reputation in the Universe was no less than Asgard's, perhaps even greater. In just a few days, he had passively heard his name mentioned more than a dozen times.
People called him Thanos, the Destroyer Overlord, or simply Thanos.
He was cruel, despicable, ruthless, and insane. Whenever he arrived at a prosperous life Planet, he would lead his Black Order, coldly slaughter half the people, letting the World be submerged in Death and a sea of blood, leaving the other half to live permanently in Shadow and trauma.
No one in the entire Universe did not fear his madness and cruelty; people trembled when they spoke of him.
"You are the never-ending executioner of the Universe, Thanos?" He asked, his voice trembling, looking at that figure as cold and hard as a rock.
In the Universe, one often heard about Thanos slaughtering Planets. Occasionally, when news was delayed, several Planets' tragedies would be heard at once.
"Never-ending?
I'm planning to rest for a while recently."
Thanos said.
Long-term slaughter was tiring and inefficient. It was time to implement the plan he had long contemplated.
"And my slaughter is for the salvation of this Universe."
He spread his hands, emphasizing slowly with a serious tone.
"Slaughter is for salvation?"
With just a short sentence, Loki almost got dizzy. How could two unrelated words be combined?
"I heard you've killed trillions of beings in the Universe."
How many life Planets had been lost? Was this how he saved them? What exactly was he saving?
He shivered and said.
"Asgardian, I've decided to give you a chance."
On the throne, Thanos frowned, looking at the trembling Loki. He said no more; not everyone could understand his great ideals and ambitions.
His voice was low, as if it could shake mountains, containing an undeniable tone.
"A chance? What chance?"
"Go to Earth, or Midgard as you Asgardians call it, and conquer that place for me."
"What do I get?"
Loki gritted his teeth and asked.
Even facing the terrifying Thanos, his inner arrogance didn't want him to be driven around like a small minion. He preferred to see this as a collaboration.
"Once it's done, you can replace your brother and become the Lord of Asgard."
After Thanos spoke softly, the Chitauri leader roared, "Asgardian, this is a promise from Sanos My Lord!"
He emphasized it solemnly, in the tone of a fanatical devotee, as if it were a precious promise from a god, not something everyone could receive, and thus should be met with tearful gratitude.
"Sounds very tempting, but…"
Loki remembered that person, the one who had punched him into the sky and then to the ground, defeating him effortlessly, and who could even withstand his father's powerful divine power. A flicker of fear crossed his eyes.
"I'm afraid I cannot accomplish this for you.
There is a powerful expert in Midgard."
Thanos, of course, knew that his so-called conquest of Earth was merely a test, to see how powerful the person who resisted Odin was, and to test if there were other experts on Earth besides the Ancient One.
"Cowardly Asgardian, you will receive help from our Chitauri army under Thanos My Lord!"
The Chitauri leader stepped forward and snorted coldly.
"Not enough, still not enough."
Loki shook his head.
"What did you say!" His words angered the Chitauri.
"I've heard of you, Chitauri, space pirates, one of Thanos's interstellar forces, but forgive me for saying, you may not be able to defeat that person."
He looked straight ahead, his eyes calm.
His life was at stake, so he had to be extremely cautious. This alone was not enough to be secure.
The Chitauri, accompanying Thanos, had a brutal reputation throughout the Universe, but no legitimate interstellar empire regarded the Chitauri as a threat.
Thanos waved his hand, stopping the angry Chitauri leader who wanted to teach Loki a lesson. He ordered someone to remove Loki's chains, and then someone came before Loki, holding a strange staff with both hands.
The staff was entirely golden, and at its pincer-shaped tip, a blue glowing gem was embedded.
"What is this?"
"The Mind Stone, a powerful weapon. It will help you."
"How powerful?"
"The gem embedded at its tip possesses infinite energy, representing one of the six great authorities of the Universe. Theoretically, if you can fully master and utilize it, you can become one of the undisputed strongest beings in this Universe."
Seated on the throne, Thanos spoke indifferently.
"If this staff is truly that powerful, would you trust me with it?"
Taking the staff, Loki examined it up and down, his eyes full of suspicion, feeling that the other party was trying to trick him.
Thanos didn't seem to value this weapon much, and would anyone casually hand over one of the strongest weapons in the Universe to someone else?
"I said theoretically."
The Death Titan, who knew countless secrets of the Universe, sneered.
It was like if someone could lift a star and smash it down as a weapon, they could easily destroy any Planet in the Universe, provided someone could do it.
To use the Infinity Stones, one needed to understand ancient cosmic lore and perceive the workings of the Universe. Even he, favored by destiny, only had a superficial understanding.
A being who truly comprehended a certain aspect of the Universe's mysteries and fully utilized the power of the Infinity Stones would be almost as powerful as the Infinity Stones themselves.
So, this was a false premise.
"Also, I will send someone to help you."
As his voice fell.
A tall monster emerged from the Shadow. It was Black Dwarf, one of Thanos's Black Order. His head had three ridges, his skin was like rock, and he carried a brutal heavy pickaxe, exuding a fierce aura.
"Help? I'm afraid it's surveillance, isn't it?" Loki muttered, slightly afraid, looking at the monster whose eyes flickered with cruelty.
…
Whoosh!
The flying ribbons seemed to extend endlessly, transforming into shields to block the incoming impact blasts. Audreyf ignored everything else, her lithe and agile body leaping a hundred meters high, charging towards Ron.
Ron stood in the void, arms crossed, not moving.
Just as she was about to arrive, several Vibranium Sentinels suddenly appeared to block her, all swinging their fists at her. She parried with her sword and was blasted back to the ground by the immense force.
Bang!
Cracked Earth flew up. Unharmed, her eyes glinted with coldness. Facing her were several dangerous, deep-blue freezing rays.
Audreyf dodged, and where the freezing rays hit the ground, it immediately froze into solid ice, and the surrounding temperature began to drop rapidly.
"Midgardian, I heard you have the power to withstand the attacks of the Asgardian God King. Are you afraid?"
She said, swinging her sword to cut down a Sentinel robot. Huge sparks burst from the robot's chest, but her incomparably sharp blade only left a shallow scratch.
"What are these robots made of?
Their hardness is almost on par with Uru metal."
Audreyf frowned, her thoughts racing.
"You want to challenge me?"
"That's right, do you dare?"
"Get past my Sentinels first."
Ron chuckled.
"If just anyone could challenge me, wouldn't I, the King, be exhausted to Death sooner or later?"
A sweeping laser ray cut through a street sign, and even several thick concrete pillars of a building behind it were severed at the waist.
Dodging quickly, Audreyf heard his words and shouted up at the sky with a hint of annoyance.
"Midgardian, do you think I am some random nobody?"
"Oh? Then I'd like to hear who you are?"
He put on an interested expression.
"I… I am…"
Instinctively wanting to announce her name, Audreyf opened her mouth to speak but suddenly couldn't.
A few days ago, she might have proudly declared herself the chief hunter under the Angel Queen of Heaven, one of the Milky Way Galaxy's strongest and most lethal assassins, Angela.
But knowing her own origin, how could she say those words again? She had even abandoned her former name.
Bang!
Blasted away by a thick stream of impact blasts, crashing through a bus, Audreyf controlled her ribbons to stabilize herself in the air. She wasn't hurt at all, but she was a bit disheveled from the explosion, making her even more frustrated and angry.
"It seems you know you don't have much of a reputation."
He chuckled softly.
In the comics, Angela was a very proud woman. Now she couldn't even state her identity. Had she learned about her past, and was she truly here to avenge her old father?
"When I defeat these robots, I hope you're as tough as your mouth!"
Swinging her sword to send a Vibranium Sentinel flying, Audreyf said, her face frosty.
But just as she repelled one Vibranium Sentinel and finished her harsh words, another Vibranium Sentinel lunged, delivering a punch weighing hundreds of tons.
Meanwhile, other Vibranium Sentinels, from above and below, continuously fired laser cutting beams and freezing lasers for suppressive fire.
Especially the miniature plasma ion cannons, even Audreyf's powerful body felt a threat from them.
Concrete, building structures, or metal, whatever was hit by the Vibranium Sentinel's miniature plasma ion cannon instantly melted and vaporized.
The barrage was like a tempest, affecting several buildings that shook and caught Fire, emitting thick smoke.
She wielded her longsword, along with her self-protective ribbons, either dodging or blocking attacks, and surprisingly, she fought evenly against ten Vibranium Sentinels by herself.
"Good speed, almost 20% of mine."
Ron stroked his chin, commenting.
His evaluation further infuriated Audreyf. She gritted her teeth and unleashed her full power, wanting to deal with these ten robots quickly and then teach him a lesson.
However, the Vibranium bodies were not so easy to deal with. She could easily send the Vibranium Sentinels flying, but she couldn't cause them any threat.
The more she fought, the more agitated she became, feeling like a trapped beast being watched by Ron from above, straining with all her might but unable to even get past his robots.
However, Ron actually didn't disdain her that much.
The battle lasted ten minutes, and Audreyf's power was fully demonstrated. These ten Vibranium robots had enough combat power to conquer any small country on Earth.
But with their immense numerical advantage, their relentless and swift attacks only temporarily suppressed her.
The entire street was ruined beyond recognition by the aftermath of this battle, and one or two buildings even collapsed.
However, Ron, who didn't even care about Wakanda itself, wouldn't take this small loss to heart.
It was just that this battle should end.
"That's enough, let's stop here."
He said, not wanting to watch any longer. The Vibranium Sentinel's combat experiment was complete, and he was satisfied with everything except their endurance.